Jojo Rabbit

The fantastic comedy of Jojo Rabbit finds new ways to tear your heart apart. A strange yet sweet story of a boy hoping to grow up and be Hitler’s guard, Jojo tries to be a man in Nazi Germany with his imaginary friend… Hitler, played by writer-director Taika Waititi. The satirical irony saturates every line of dialogue, which makes this film very refreshing considering its content. Taika Waititi takes all the horror and brainwashing of the Hitler Youth during WWII and just has fun with it.

The story begins like a quirky Wes-Anderson fantasy of what life is like as an Aryan boy in Nazi Germany. The colors are bright, the music is the german dub of songs from The Beatles, and the costumes and editing are loud and cartoony. That was the main focus of the trailers, since Taika Waititi is mainly known for comedies and fun entertainment, so I went into the theater thinking that was the whole film—but then the main conflict reveals itself, and the story slowly delves deeper into dread. The ghosts of each character are slowly unmasked, giving a third dimension to the cartoons. Even though the audience never believes the main characters will die, the threat still lurks in the background. The story takes place near the end of the war, where Germany is scrambling to keep its organization running smoothly while the enemy closes in on both sides. The sudden explosion of mortars and gunfire in a peaceful village highlights the illusion of safety people had inside Nazi Germany, and the way characters respond offer not only humor but also forgotten realities of the real people. The film shines light on war with a new angle, using comedy to make us care about characters we usually would root against in a war film.

Roman Griffin Davis and Thomasin McKenzie are not only unknown and incredible actors, they are also incredibly young for such major roles in a film. Roman is 11 and Thomasin is 19. Leaning an entire story on the shoulders of two young actors—one being their first film—is seen as a financial nightmare. Yet, they have some of the best chemistry and performances of the year. Roman was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Comedy/ Musical, and he perfectly meets Taika Waititi’s energy in every scene. While Roman’s character, Jojo, gets to play off of so many loud and colorful characters, Thomasin McKenzie’s Elsa is in solitude on this film’s serious side. Her line deliveries are cold and powerful, but then she adds a twist to her hopeless situation by teasing Jojo about how Jews live. The duality of her character is electric, and the growing relationship between these two characters develops in multiple different storylines.

A lot of Oscar buzz is surrounding Scarlett Johansson’s performance as Jojo’s mother, but I thought she had the weakest performance of the core cast. She does a great job, and her character is fantastically realized through her scenes, but the younger actors meet that chemistry and go beyond her level. Sam Rockwell’s character, Captain Klenzendorf, has more characterization and development than Jojo’s mother in far less screentime. I will not go as far as to say Sam Rockwell had a better performance than Scarlett Johansson because I know I am biased towards Sam Rockwell after his heart-melting role in The Way Way Back. I love Sam Rockwell because he plays that role so well: the broken man trying to redeem himself by preventing the main character from making the same mistakes he did. He nails that role, and continues to play it every year. To be fair, this story is Sam Rockwell’s ballpark; at least Scarlett Johansson branched out from her usual career for this film.

Overall, this film has the best child acting I have ever seen. Roman Griffin Davis is impressive as an actor overall, but given the fact that he is 11, there is a definite future for him in filmmaking. The rest of the actors are amazing, and Taika Waititi’s writing sparks comedy and rumbles tragedy. He continues to prove that he is the next big writer-director again and again. The colors bounce off the screen, and the whole production is a blast to watch. Sadly, it is not strong enough to win any major awards, but that does not mean this film should be forgotten.

Story Rating: 8/10

Character Rating: 8/10